Where do I go to have a meltdown? LCS First World Troubles…

[Wall-Crawler]

You could always go here to get your fix...

 

[Artboy99]

When I asked the store owner why the book is on display if it isn't for sale she got angry at the mere suggestion that a customer is trying to tell her how to run her store and she replied "lots of things you can see are not for sale. You can see my cash register, but it isn't for sale".

 

She'd have to be very hot or very funny to pull that one on me...

 

I'm having trouble understanding books on display that aren't for sale. Are they in bins, up on the wall, or well hidden in closed boxes under counters that you had to drag out?

 

On a display stand shelf beside other books for sale that have prices on them.

I have bought a book off that shelf previously.

Here is a picture of the store. Right shelf laying flat below the slabbed books. other books laying flat there have prices on them.

 

The shelves underneath are the files for customers.

 

Sure looks like employee space behind the counter. Most people would recognize the imaginary line between the cash register and the coffee machine, especially if customers' pull lists are being stored there. She still needs a sign or swinging doors to keep people out, but I wouldn't touch that stuff without asking first.

 

I didn't touch anything, I asked what the price of the book was because I could see it laying on the top of the shelf but you can't see the price tags because they are a little to far from you to see.

The slabs on top of the shelves are for sale and have prices on them. Why am I to think books laying flat on top are any different especially if they also have prices on them? Again, I said I have purchased a book previously that was laying flat on that shelf.

In any event it no longer matters. I won't be buying any more books other than that which is in my file, and even the file is in question ( likely to close it ).

[MetalPSI]

What store is this so I don't accidentally walk into it and buy something

[kthuluu]

Ditto. That joint sounds ridiculous.

 

I gave up on my LCS too. Between TFAW and Midtown, I can get everything I need delivered to my door.

[delorean1981]

There's other stores that will take better care of you.

I go into my LCS maybe once every 6 to 8 weeks to pick up my tiny two book pull list. I walk in and am greeted by name, and they always take the time to chat for a while about the comic world, and things that relate to my interests.

 

Hot Comics and collectables in New Hope MN.

Great store.

 

Exact same experience with me at my LCS, Duncanville Bookstore in Duncanville, TX. Awesome staff and experience everytime I go in. I live an hour away but make the trip when I can.

[Couchy81]

You could always go here to get your fix...

 

 

Is that the guy at the corner of Yonge and Carlton?

 

I've grabbed books from him before. He will negotiate prices.

[PKJ]

Customer in the #1 bin has a serious habit.

[Wall-Crawler]

You could always go here to get your fix...

 

 

Is that the guy at the corner of Yonge and Carlton?

 

I've grabbed books from him before. He will negotiate prices.

 

Yep!

 

I travel to Toronto fairly regularly for work and saw this guy setting up...Talked to him for a bit but didn't buy anything...What I saw was overpriced and I didnt have cash on me to do any kind of pity buy anyway...Kinda surprised that Starbucks doesn't shoo him away...

[Domo Arigato]

You could always go here to get your fix...

Definitely a little unusual.....but I have to give respect to the guy for working and trying to make an honest living.

 

Plus...his inventory looks more accessible and well organized than some of the comic shop pictures that have been shown on the boards lately.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

So I wrote my LCS a pretty lengthy email just now. I was talking bad about the delay in Manifest Destiny when it was pointed out that two issues just came out that I totally missed. Here is what I wrote my LCS:

 

First and foremost, I started coming to your store over a year ago after some issues at an LCS that I shopped in for 20+ years. They missed a few books in my pull list and I got a little annoyed. I didn't like the way they handled my concerns. My daughter and I came in your store a few times and she always left saying how much fun she'd had. Thus I switched to your store.

 

I mentioned to you a few weeks ago that I'd fallen behind in my reading. I have/had piles of comics on my table for roughly the last 5 months. I've made some headway in those piles and have made my way through about half of it. I'm a little frustrated.

 

First and foremost, I've asked twice now for post it notes to top being put on my books. It continues. I'm hoping following the last time I mentioned it to you that it has stopped. It damaged a good number of my books and I found it frustrating. I'm not saying I'm expecting 9.8 candidates, but I still like my books to be nice.

 

Second- and much bigger- I am missing over 10 books from my pulls. Some I've already replaced, but a lot of missing books that have stalled my reading. It is very frustrating. I've been piling up 4 or 5 books to read to only find that I have issues 11, 12, 14, and 15. Or that I have issues 1, 3, 4, and 5.

 

I've checked your racks and many of these books are sold out. I've looked online and now not only do I have to pay shipping, but for some I have to pay a premium because they are "hot."

 

As I imagine you can see, I'm a bit frustrated. I also still have about half the stack to go through, and I imagine I'm only going to find more missing books.

 

I was going to say something last time I was in the store but you were not there. I'm very tempted to take my business online where I can get a 40% discount, my books bagged and board, and receive ALL my books. I continue to shop in your store simply because I want my children to have the experience of going to an LCS, but I'm thinking those days might be over.

 

Anything you can say would be appreciated,

Chris

 

I'm curious what he'll say, but the ball is in his court now. My daughter and I filed my comics two days ago and she kept a tally going of all the missing books. It was incredibly frustrating.

[Chaseman210]

Please share the response when you hear back.

 

[Artboy99]

So I wrote my LCS a pretty lengthy email just now. I was talking bad about the delay in Manifest Destiny when it was pointed out that two issues just came out that I totally missed. Here is what I wrote my LCS:

 

First and foremost, I started coming to your store over a year ago after some issues at an LCS that I shopped in for 20+ years. They missed a few books in my pull list and I got a little annoyed. I didn't like the way they handled my concerns. My daughter and I came in your store a few times and she always left saying how much fun she'd had. Thus I switched to your store.

 

I mentioned to you a few weeks ago that I'd fallen behind in my reading. I have/had piles of comics on my table for roughly the last 5 months. I've made some headway in those piles and have made my way through about half of it. I'm a little frustrated.

 

First and foremost, I've asked twice now for post it notes to top being put on my books. It continues. I'm hoping following the last time I mentioned it to you that it has stopped. It damaged a good number of my books and I found it frustrating. I'm not saying I'm expecting 9.8 candidates, but I still like my books to be nice.

 

Second- and much bigger- I am missing over 10 books from my pulls. Some I've already replaced, but a lot of missing books that have stalled my reading. It is very frustrating. I've been piling up 4 or 5 books to read to only find that I have issues 11, 12, 14, and 15. Or that I have issues 1, 3, 4, and 5.

 

I've checked your racks and many of these books are sold out. I've looked online and now not only do I have to pay shipping, but for some I have to pay a premium because they are "hot."

 

As I imagine you can see, I'm a bit frustrated. I also still have about half the stack to go through, and I imagine I'm only going to find more missing books.

 

I was going to say something last time I was in the store but you were not there. I'm very tempted to take my business online where I can get a 40% discount, my books bagged and board, and receive ALL my books. I continue to shop in your store simply because I want my children to have the experience of going to an LCS, but I'm thinking those days might be over.

 

Anything you can say would be appreciated,

Chris

 

I'm curious what he'll say, but the ball is in his court now. My daughter and I filed my comics two days ago and she kept a tally going of all the missing books. It was incredibly frustrating.

 

I left my last LCS because of missing file books. From 2007 to 2016 I was missing over 100 books!

I waited for some kind of apology, instead they blamed it on a disgruntled employee who had left the company. After I closed my file, the owner phoned me to say "you are a cool guy, I love talking comics with you, if you ever feel like coming down to my shop to hang out please do".

[MetalPSI]

Drop them like a hot potato. There is no plausible excuse for not having the complete run of titles you requested in your file. If anything, they should give you a call or email asking if you can come clean your file out, or allow them to pull issues from your file because of under estimated orders.

 

Completely unacceptable.

[Ken Aldred]

I had that, back in the nineties. A pull list where any hot comic ended up missing, being told repeatedly that they didn’t have one put away for me because people had been coming in buying multiples. I soon got tired of it and stopped even bothering picking my stuff up, and was then accused of messing them about. Sure.

 

[Artboy99]

When Captain America 25 came out, it made world wide news that the story was about the death of the shield swinging hero. People went in to comic shops to buy the comic. Me? I went in to pick it up in my file knowing my trusty LCS would have a copy for me because I ordered it in advance. Right?

 

When I showed up the book wasn't in my file and they claimed they were shorted. I noticed a copy hanging on the wall behind the cash register with a $100 price tag on it. I said I would take my file and the captain America 25 on the wall. The employee began ringing in the prices and I noted the $100 price rung in for the cap 25.

I said "I will pay my file price for the cap 25", to which I was told it was an "extra copy brought in for the store inventory".

 

I closed my file on the spot, as did the guy that was in line behind me because he didn't get his copy either.

 

I have never bought anything in that store since.

 

[MetalPSI]

I had one store harass me just after two weeks to come pick up my stuff. I had maybe $20 a weeks worth of stuff.

 

Not my fault this was a brand new store, in a mall where they overcharged for lease, and this guy spent his entire budget trying to make his store cool and obviously thought running a store was going to be as easy as just opening it. He got pretty snarky rather quickly and I just ended up telling him to stick it.

 

How did I know all this information? Never, ever tell your customers what your financial problems are and play the victim. Not only did I walk away, I got about 10 of my friends to as well. Which in turn told their friends, which in turn told their friends....so on and so forth.

[kthuluu]

I stopped by my LCS one weekend to pick up 20+ back issues of a title. When I went to checkout, the that ran the place asked me if I minded if he marked up the prices on each issue before he checked me out? He said he was going to do it earlier but hadn't gotten around to it.

 

I told him that I didn't mind at all if he didn't mind me leaving these books here, never setting foot in his store again, and telling everyone I knew about this incident. Needless to say he sold me the books at the original price. I told everyone I knew about it anyway.

 

I wasn't really surprised at this stunt since the guy was a world-class dirtbag that ripped people off constantly. I've never known anyone else in the comic business that was universally despised by everyone that knew him.

 

Anyway, as soon as I could find another store, I was out of there. This store was all the way across town embedded in a flea market. I hated going there because the flea market was a madhouse and sweltering hot, but it was still better than dealing with the jerk at the other store.

 

After a while, I couldn't handle the flea market LCS and went strictly online.

[ChrisInBaltimore]

I still haven't gotten a response. I guess I'll go clear out my box and go to an online service.

 

It sounds like Midtown would be the best for my style of reading. With DCBS, you have to order way ahead of time, correct?

[TheWatcher]

With DCBS, you have to order way ahead of time, correct?

 

Two months for most books, but HCs like Masterworks or Omnibuses may be preordered months before they're scheduled to be released

[dudeman5000]

If they don't care about your business, shop elsewhere.

I used to go to this mexican restaurant for a to go order 3-4 times a week. They started putting me on hold. I would hear them in the background chit chatting while I held for 20 min. Finally I said screw em.

I used to spend $10 a day at a coffeeshop-they treated me like -I stopped going. If you don't want me to spend enough money to buy a new car every 10 years, then later.

Now i make my coffee at home.

 

+1

 

Chris